Their View

Pipeline situation stinks

My name is Jeff Mazurowski and I am running for Fulton County Commissioner. I recently attended a meeting concerning the citizen’s concerns about the Nexus pipeline running through Swan Creek, Fulton, and Amboy Townships. This meeting was scheduled so the citizens affected by this pipeline could communicate their concerns directly to the people responsible for constructing this pipeline.

When I first walked into Swanton High School, where the meeting was held, I experienced a vibrant, positive atmosphere, where people were gathered around tables, looking at maps, and discussing the details of what could happen if this pipeline is allowed to be installed. As I started talking to people, confusion set in. Many citizens were not familiar with the way the meeting was going to be conducted. Many thought that they could air their concerns about the pipeline in an open meeting in front of Nexus Officials and their neighbors. Citizens were instead informed that they had to “Take a number” and would be taken to a room individually, where they could speak privately with pipeline officials. Of the many people I talked to at the meeting, this was not the method they were comfortable with.

Many citizens I spoke with expressed that this is the way they have been dealt with all along when dealing with pipeline issues. They felt this company has been trying to divide and conquer them all along to pave the way for this pipeline. I saw promotional brochures sent by Nexus promising that land owners lives’ would not be adversely affected by this pipeline running through their property, yet, they couldn’t sit in a room together and speak with these pipeline officials.

One gentleman I talked to will have a 2,600 foot path dug through his property. He will also be unable to build he and his wife’s retirement home because of the potential path of the pipeline. He came to this meeting with hopes of getting support from his fellow neighbors, but was instead told to “Take a number.” If this is a reflection of the attitudes of these pipeline officials, then we should tell them to “take a number” every time they want more land in Fulton County. This situation really stinks!